“Hold onto your handbags, put on your flats and start running…. The Rupert Sanderson Factory Sale is back!!!”
Sadly, by the time this kicks off I’ll be pounding the pavements of NYC in my Converse (on my must-visit list, visit the Joe Strummer mural, the Colette/Gap store, Dashwood Books and Another Man’s Treasure). But prices start at £50 so if you’re around and in need of some fierce foot candy, this is the place to go…
River Island gave me a £100 voucher at their press day months ago and the expiry date is fast approaching. As I’m zooming off to New York on Thursday I thought I’d better hurry up and spend the voucher or knowing me I’d miss my chance altogether. Boy, did I have trouble finding anything decent. River Island has a habit of throwing all sorts of excessive embellishment on everything. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of Swarovski (Lord knows there was enough of it at the shows), but everything in ‘River’ is just covered in stuff. The shoes were actually really good if you’re brave enough to try the uber-precarious 6-inch cone heels (I’m not) but the clothes were just way too budget-looking for me (hey, I’m way over 25 and I’m a snob). In the end I plumped for a belt, some jeans, a bangle, some sweets and this bag. It feels like it’s made out of satin-covered cardboard and the blinged-up logo is obviously way OTT. Yet, something tells me it could look OK if I roughed it up a bit rather than actually pretending it’s anything like a real 2.55. I love the colour and the size is bigger than a real Chanel thus actually usuable (my candy-pink Chanel is beautiful but hopelessly impractical). Chances are though, it will all end up going back (minus the sweets) and I’ll give the credit note to my sister. What would you do – keep or return?
The LFW tents were awash with eco cotton totes and quite honestly, I think I’ve had enough. I’ve been using my own eco tote (OK, it’s not organic but it gets lots of use) all week – not out of concern for my carbon footprint but because I genuinely love this well-worn bag, bought on my first trip to NYC fourteen years ago at The Strand Book Store. I love the colour, the font, the fact that it holds memories and the fact that it’s a great size and looks better the shabbier it gets.
In the last year or so I’ve lost count of how many cotton totes I’ve been given at various press days, shop launches and fashion shows. What does one do with them? I’ve never got this thing about using them for groceries because my grocery shopping involves several big bags, not the odd baguette and a newspaper, and I don’t have enough shoulders to carry my weekly shop in those canvas totes. Plus, I know it’s not PC but I need those plastic Sainsburys carriers – I re-use them for my rubbish! What does everyone else do with these eco totes? Are you using them all?
While hobnobbing with Topman design director, the dashing Gordon Richardson I managed to glean the following:
*The Antony Price/Topman collab is set to land in November!
*Price has built a mannequin to the exact size of the Topman house model (or ‘lad’ as Richardson called him)!
*The collection is based on the Roxy music track ‘Remake Remodel’!
*The coats are especially worth waiting for!
*The collections starts at a size 36 – or maybe a 34!
*They’re working on spring-summer now…it’s inspired by Duran Duran’s Rio video!
[PS: I’ve been promised an exclusive Antony Price interview – watch this space…]
